Poem Analysis: You Fit Into Me

In just sixteen words, “You Fit into Me” creates an unsettling image with the description of a fish hook lodged in an eye. The implications of that image range from the simple, like two incompatible personalities, to the disturbing, like an abusive relationship. But the most overt implication is a sexual one, and when paired with such painful imagery, it suggests that the poem is about continuous sexual abuse.
The first line, “you fit into me,” is physical through the use of the verb “fit.” When applied to two human bodies, the idea of “fitting” together becomes sexual. In the second line, “like a hook into an eye” symbolizes the two bodies engaged in sex. The hook represents the penis, and the eye represents the vagina. But a hook in an eye is far from a common sexual representation; where other images would imply some kind of pleasure, this creates a sensation of pain. Sex equated to such an act is not at all the desirable experience so often portrayed. Even without the mention of an eye, the comparison to a hook is painful. A hook cuts through skin and draws blood; the idea of such a thing involved in sex is quite grisly.
Furthermore, a hook is designed to prevent escape. This
There is no capitalization or punctuation, no kind of emphasis to be found. It is as if the words are delivered in monotone, like the victim has divorced herself from emotion as a coping mechanism. As the poem continues, the lines grow shorter and the speaker no longer uses what could be complete sentences before the words disappear entirely. Her mind goes blank as she waits for it to end. The description of an “open eye” implies that the abuse is ongoing. It is such a regular occurrence that she is now “open” to the abuse since she sees no point in fighting it. It can also mean that she believes the abuse will stop so long as she doesn’t fight, or that it gets worse when she